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Mo’Wax legend James Lavelle gears up for a live collaboration between his UNKLE project and the Heritage Orchestra writes Jeff Hemmings

Many of you might know James Lavelle as the man behind the legendary Mo’Wax label, set up in the early ‘90s, which gave the world the likes of DJ Shadow and Japan’s DJ Krush. But even before that he was organising parties in his home town before migrating to London, where he set up club nights such as the Mo’Wax Please night (which he also DJed at) and started making music of his own.
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Mali’s Bassekou Kouyate on West African tradition, clan ceremonies, and why he started playing his ngoni like a guitar by Jeff Hemmings

From his early days in the Malian capital of Bamako, where he played in a trio with Toumani Diabate and Keletigui Diabate, to his time as a member of Ali Farka Toure’s band and the music he makes today, Bassekou Kouyate has transformed the traditional music of the ngoni for the modern world. Read the rest of this article »

With a First Class music degree and a ‘Roxanne’ cover impressing YouTube, Ayanna Witter-Johnson is an artist of note writes Jeff Hemmings

You probably haven’t heard of Ayanna Witter-Johnson, but this unique, captivating and talented young composer, song-writer, vocalist, cellist and pianist has been making fast inroads. Despite being only 25, she has already worked with many leading musicians and producers including Courtney Pine, 4Hero, Dan Zanes, Robert Mitchell, Soul II Soul’s Riz MC, the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, Gwyneth Herbert and beat poet Michael Horovitz. Read the rest of this article »

Local duo Grasscut on how walking the South Downs inspired the ‘antique electronica’ of their debut album writes Jeff Hemmings

The debut album by Grasscut, 1 Inch/½ Mile, maps the journey across a real landscape just outside Brighton, including the long lost village of Balsdean, a place that met its end during WWII when the area was used for artillery practice. On the way it encounters both string quartets and casio keyboards, as well as a cast of voices including a 1920s tenor and a Victorian singing poet…

“Its an eerie place if you know the history,” says Andrew Philips, who makes up the duo with Marcus O’Dair. “There’s so much stuff around the Downs – I love walking, I just wanted to flag up the possibilities that you are standing on more than you think you are…”
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